Food is
isFood is your life.
Food. It’s a source of endless curiosity. And an outlet for your creativity. Maybe even your side hustle. Food nourishes your soul like nothing else. Food is your life. And it’s our life, too.
At the Culinary Institute of America, food is what we do. And we do it best. Here, food is discipline, mastery, art. Food is science, math, and history. Food is hospitality, business, innovation, and global change.
At CIA, you’ll discover that food can open any door. It can prepare you for the corner café or the national stage. It can help you make a difference in your community or on a global scale.
At CIA, you can turn your life’s passion into your life’s purpose. Here, food is your life.
Watch our latest video and picture yourself at CIA.
your...
Food is your
future.
Degrees, Courses, and Faculty
An education that gives you an edge.
When you choose CIA for your culinary education, you’re starting with an advantage from day one.
Here you’ll learn about what you love most through our hands-on classes and nine award-winning restaurants. You’ll also gain specialized knowledge in the topic you care about most for your future, like food systems, sustainability, management, or hospitality.
Our world-famous faculty and innovative courses will help you become a leader, a problem-solver, a team player, and an entrepreneur as you prepare to pave your own career path and make a difference in the world of food and hospitality.
future.
Start with an advantage.
The CIA Core Advantage prepares you for success through:
Hands-on, real-world experience in our kitchens and award-winning restaurants.
Industry-driven curriculum that explores topics through the lens of food.
2x the foundational skills and deeper dives into specializations than most colleges.
Food is your foundation.
Our associate degrees include the CIA Core Advantage and are delivered in less than two years.
CULINARY ARTS
Build the foundation for your culinary creativity, from cooking methods to flavor principles to butchery. Then dive into modern topics every food professional needs to know about: sustainability, wellness, responsible sourcing, and world cultures and cuisines.
BAKING AND PASTRY ARTS
Learn the techniques, ingredient function, and design principles behind everything from puff pastry to baguettes to entremets. Then envision and create your unique versions. You’ll also learn to prepare savory fare perfect for your own café.
Food is your passion.
Our bachelor’s degree programs include the CIA Core Advantage while allowing you to add specialized learning through your choice of major.
FOOD BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
Blend vital business management skills with your passion for food. Develop industry-specific knowledge in leadership, marketing, human resources, finance, and more. This program will prepare you to excel in any food- or beverage-focused company—and provide you with the business savvy to start one of your own.
CULINARY SCIENCE
Equip yourself with a deep, technique-based understanding of ingredient functionality so you can consistently create more delicious dishes and more inventive food products. This program will build your understanding of the science behind food and prepare you for cooking at the highest level or creating the next big thing in food.
APPLIED FOOD STUDIES
Get an in-the-field, immersive education in food policy, ethics, ecology, sustainability, food systems, and more. Build an understanding of food’s connection with culture, media, community, and history. Then put what you learn into practice locally and globally, making a difference in the world for years to come.
HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT
Stand out from the crowd with a hospitality management degree from CIA, where you will learn how to lead all aspects of hospitality— from food and business strategies to large-scale event operations. Gain a distinct edge with vital hands-on food and beverage experience at our New York campus, which also serves as a major tourism destination for world-class dining, events, and conferences.
Learn from the experts.
One of the reasons why CIA is the world’s premier culinary college is because our faculty are top industry pros. They literally wrote the book on culinary education— The Professional Chef. Other colleges teach from it, but the experts are here. CIA instructors include acclaimed master chefs and bakers, top food industry executives, successful restaurateurs, published authors, wine experts, forwardthinking nutritionists, and more. But what matters most is that they truly love what they do. And that enthusiasm for the craft rubs off on our students.
“The Harvard of culinary schools.”
—culinary legend Julia Child
#ONLYATCIA
Food is your inspiration.
CIA’s course catalog is different from other colleges. In addition to liberal arts and management staples, you’ll have access to innovative courses to build specialized knowledge and let your creative juices flow. Here are just a few of your options.
GET OUT INTO THE ECOSYSTEM
Tap maple trees and dig in at the Teaching Garden. During Ecology of Food, you’ll explore questions like how and where food is grown, produced, marketed, and its consequences on society—be it positive, negative, or a combination of both.
THE SCIENCE OF DELICIOUSNESS
Fun with hydrocolloids and more! That’s what awaits you in Ingredient Functionality. Through inventive experiments—like making a popping mango gel with sodium alginate and calcium lactate in a fruit purée— you’ll begin to understand the power of your ingredients.
BUILD A BETTER BAGUETTE
Your challenge in Advanced Baking Principles? Transform traditional recipes for breads, desserts, and other baked goods into new versions tailored for vegan, gluten-free, and no-sugar-added diets that are just as delicious as the original.
BREW U
In the Art and Science of Brewing, you’ll learn about the ingredients and techniques of brewing in the CIA’s brewery and create beers that will be served in our restaurants. And our brews consistently take home top honors. CIA students have won gold, silver, and bronze medals at the NYS Craft Beer Competition—will yours be next?
Real-World Experiences
New experiences at home and abroad.
At CIA, you’ll get amazing chances to learn about food on campus and around the world…literally.
You’ll start with an internship where you’ll have an opportunity to work at the best restaurants, hotels, and global corporations in the world.
Then, you’ll step into our award-winning restaurant kitchens and dining rooms.
This will help you see how everything works together and learn the skills that employers want from CIA grads.
You can also pick a concentration with a unique focus, like Japanese cuisine, wines and beverages, or farm-to-table. You’ll spend a semester in another
passport.
of all the action for a “living classroom experience” like no other. Serve, cook, and delight customers from around the world while you gain restaurant experience in both the front- and back-of-house. It’s exciting, real-life learning you’ll find only at CIA.
#ONLYATCIA
Our worldwide partnerships provide students with access to the highest-quality, premium ingredients— like truffles and in-house dry-aged beef.
CIA RESTAURANTS
American Bounty Restaurant | NY
The Bocuse Restaurant | NY
Ristorante Caterina de’ Medici | NY
Apple Pie Bakery Café | NY
Post Road Brew House | NY
Gatehouse Restaurant | CA
The Bakery Café | CA
Savor | TX
CIA Bakery Café | TX
Put your knowledge to work.
Expand your horizons and sharpen your focus during a semester-long paid internship at one of more than 2,000 CIA-approved, world-class businesses spanning every industry and the globe. In addition to providing you with valuable work experience, CIA connects you with an unparalleled roster of industry contacts for résumé building and professional networking.
Food is your adventure.
Customize your CIA education to fit your unique interests and career goals with a bachelor’s degree concentration. You could travel to Barcelona to experience Mediterranean cuisines and cultures, immerse yourself in the food and cultures of Africa, explore local farms in Napa with our farm-to-table concentration, or launch a new foodservice concept with our Intrapreneurship concentration.
With CIA’s unrivaled network of global connections, you’ll have access to experiences that other colleges simply can’t offer. And best of all, tuition for your semester away is the same as at your home campus.
Looking for a global cuisines and cultures adventure? Join a CIA-hosted, 10-day excursion to places like France, Costa Rica, or Italy. These amazing travel experiences will transform your worldview and expand your flavor palate forever.
Castello di Ugento in Puglia, Italy
community.
community.
New York
LOCATION
Hyde Park
STUDENTS
2,400+ HOUSING
Residential
UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES
Associate and Bachelor’s
Our Hyde Park campus offers everything you could want in a college experience on 170 acres overlooking the Hudson River—from student clubs and athletic teams to special events like cook-offs, chef demos, and the Run for Your Knives 5K.
The Hudson Valley region is so rich with agritourism, farm-to-table cuisine, resorts, and craft breweries that many of our graduates never leave.
#ONLYATCIA
New York students can also experience a semester at CIA Singapore or California as part of their bachelor’s degree concentration.
California
LOCATION
St. Helena
STUDENTS
340+
HOUSING Residential
UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES
Associate (credits fully transfer to bachelor’s in New York)
At our close-knit Napa Valley campus, you’ll be surrounded by growers, vineyards, and farm-to-table restaurants, along with arts, culture, and outdoor activities like climbing, hiking, paddling, and cycling. Plus, all the best of the San Francisco Bay Area is just a short drive away, from Michelin-starred restaurants to Giants baseball.
Texas
LOCATION
San Antonio
STUDENTS
200+ HOUSING Commuter
UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES
Associate (credits fully transfer to bachelor’s in New York)
San Antonio is an amazing, friendly city pulsing with Latin American-infused culture and cuisine. Our commuter campus in the Pearl District drops you squarely into the action—including food-focused activities like the Habla Fresca Lecture series and the city’s Paella Challenge. At CIA Texas, you’ll find a small, inclusive community where you’ll get to know your instructors and make lifelong friends.
opportunity.
Careers, Alumni, and Support
Time to realize your life’s purpose.
CIA is the world’s premier culinary school. Here you’ll gain the skills, experience, and connections you need to succeed in any food or hospitality career…and beyond.
At CIA, you’ll find people who understand you, inspire you, and challenge you. You’ll also join an influential alumni network that will support you.
We’re here to help you, from applying and enrolling to landing your dream job. Food is our life, too. And our purpose is to help you achieve yours.
opportunity.
Executive Chef
Chef/Owner
Private Chef
RESTAURANT
Restaurateur
Entrepreneur
Catering Chef
Executive Pastry Chef
Bakeshop Owner
journey. Food is your
At CIA, you’ll discover just how vast your career possibilities are within the world of food and hospitality. And with the foundation of skills, knowledge, and experience you’ll get here, you’ll be prepared to start— and succeed—anywhere.
Culinary Tourism
Food and Beverage Director
Hotel General Manager
Meetings and Events Manager
HOSPITALITY & BEVERAGE
Catering Manager
Wedding Planner
Sommelier
Culinary Educator
journey.
FOOD
Food Sourcing Specialist
Food is your ambition.
Find your place among peers and mentors who share your dedication to being the best at what they love to do. And no matter where or how high you want to go in your food career, we’re going to prepare you for it.
“For anyone with a deep love for the industry, this is home.”
— Riddhi Venkateshwaran
“Food and hospitality embody what I want in life. CIA is providing me with the knowledge, experience, and tools to pave my career path.
— Alessandra Sarria
“I want to be the best, and CIA is the world’s premier culinary
Launch your career.
At CIA, we build food and hospitality careers. Three times a year, every year, 150+ of the very best food, beverage, and hospitality companies attend the food world’s best career fair at the CIA—looking to hire. Here, you’ll connect one-on-one with highly interested recruiters, ask questions, talk up your skills, and make important networking connections. And those connections often lead to on-the-spot job and internship interviews with companies from around the world.
students average three job offers at graduation.
#ONLYATCIA
CIA
Food is your network.
With more than 50,000 members, CIA boasts one of the most powerful alumni networks in the world of food and hospitality. And they are here for you. Connect with these industry leaders and changemakers who not only understand the value of a CIA education but also want to help you make the connections needed to successfully launch or advance your career.
Food is your next chapter.
FOR TRANSFER STUDENTS
If you have some college experience, we make it easy to transfer credits toward your CIA degree. Plus, all transfer students are eligible for financial aid and scholarship opportunities.
FOR ADULTS WITH WORK EXPERIENCE
If you have full-time, hands-on work experience in a professional kitchen, you may be able to complete your CIA degree faster, saving you time and money.
FOR U.S. VETERANS
A sense of purpose. Service. Making a difference. You’ve experienced them all in your military career, so it’s only natural to seek them in your next one. A career in food is a great fit for your skills and drive, and so is CIA. Your GI Bill benefits can cover up to 100% of your college tuition, so why not choose the best?
FOR GRAD STUDENTS
If you already hold a bachelor’s degree, CIA’s School of Graduate Studies has a range of options to help you continue to advance your career. With our uniquely food-focused master’s degree programs, you’ll be prepared to create meaningful change in a variety of industry sectors.
Secure your success.
At CIA, we’re here to support you every step of the way with a team of faculty and staff, academic and career advisors, and others. It’s the CIA way.
• Admissions Counselors are available to help you with the admission process.
• Enrollment Managers can answer questions about financial aid and next steps.
• Library Learning Commons staff will assist you in mastering a skill, understanding a concept, managing your time, and more.
• Residence Life staff will show you how to get the most from living on campus.
• Center for Career and Academic Advising staff can help you choose courses and concentrations, secure your internship, and begin your career in food.
• The Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) office provides confidential personal counseling, consultation, and problem-solving.
Food is your purpose.
If you’re committed to making the best investment for your future at CIA, we’re committed to helping you get here. CIA financial planners will work with you to help maximize your financial aid package. Options include generous CIA grants and scholarships—more than $40 million was awarded last year alone—as well as federal and state financial aid (including veterans’ benefits). More than 90% of current CIA students receive scholarships and financial aid. We work hard to make their dreams affordable. And we’ll help you, too.
About CIA
PROUDLY NOT-FOR-PROFIT
CIA is an independent, not-for-profit college pursuing its mission of providing the highest-quality food and hospitality education. It is governed by a board of trustees not compensated for its services. This means we focus on the quality of your education rather than satisfying shareholders, and your tuition goes straight into our education programs. Graduates of not-for-profit institutions like CIA have a much lower education loan default rate. The food industry trusts in our longevity and reputation, and looks to CIA graduates first when hiring.
ACCREDITATION
The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 1007 North Orange Street, 4th Floor, MB #166, Wilmington, DE 19801. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
The Culinary Institute of America is a private postsecondary institution and has been granted a license to operate by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, 1747 North Market Blvd., Suite 225, Sacramento, California, 95834; bppe@dca.ca.gov; 916-574-8900 or 1-888-370-7589; bppe.ca.gov. The definition of approval to operate is compliance with state standards as set forth in the California Private Postsecondary Act of 2009.
Additional accreditation and approval information can be found at: ciachef.edu/accreditation/
CAMPUS SAFETY
The Advisory Committee on Campus Safety will provide upon request all campus crime statistics as reported to the United States Department of Education (DOE). These statistics can be found via the DOE website search features at ope.ed.gov/security. A hardcopy report of the statistics may be requested by contacting the director of campus safety at the New York campus at 845-451-1300 and will be provided within 10 days of the request.
NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATION
The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to the principle of equal opportunity in education and employment. CIA does not discriminate against individuals in its programs or activities on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, ancestry, national or ethnic origin, or any other protected group or classification under federal or state laws. The following Civil Rights Compliance Officers at CIA have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies:
Title IX and Age Discrimination: Joanna Smith, Title IX Coordinator and Legal Advisor, 845-451-1614, Joanna.Smith@culinary.edu, Office: Roth Hall Room W401F.
Danielle Glendenning, Deputy Title IX Coordinator and Assistant Director–Faculty Relations, 845-905-4369, Danielle.Glendenning@culinary.edu, Office: Roth Hall S324. ciachef.edu/harassment-policy
Section 504/ADA:
Carolyn Tragni, Dean, Academic Engagement and Administration. Section 504 Coordinator, 845-451-1615, Carolyn.Tragni@culinary.edu, Office: Roth Hall, Room S319
Mailing address: The Culinary Institute of America, 1946 Campus Drive, Hyde Park, NY 12538
Should you require further information, please visit ciachef.edu/non-discrimination-statement.
For further information on notice of non-discrimination, you can also visit https://ocrcas.ed.gov/contact-ocr for the address and phone number of the office that serves your area, or call 1-800-421-3481.
©2024 The Culinary Institute of America
PROGRAMS OF STUDY
Associate in Applied Science: Baking and Pastry Arts (TX)
Associate in Applied Science: Culinary Arts (TX)
Associate in Occupational Studies: Baking and Pastry Arts (NY, CA)
Associate in Occupational Studies: Culinary Arts (NY, CA)
Bachelor of Professional Studies: Applied Food Studies (NY)
Bachelor of Professional Studies: Culinary Science (NY)
Bachelor of Business Administration: Food Business Management (NY)
Bachelor of Science: Hospitality Management (NY)
Bachelor of Professional Studies: Baking and Pastry Arts degree completion (NY)
Bachelor of Professional Studies: Culinary Arts degree completion (NY, TX)
Accelerated Culinary Arts Certificate Program (CA)
Master of Professional Studies: Food Business (Online)
Master of Professional Studies: Wine and Beverage Management (Online)
Master of Professional Studies: Sustainable Food Systems (Online)
Master of Professional Studies: Culinary Arts (Online)
ADMISSIONS
Food is your
Why not answer it today?
There’s no better way to see what CIA has to offer than to visit one of our campuses. Join us for an open house, campus tour, or check out an online event. Go to ciachef.edu/visit or call 1-800-CULINARY.
